Solo travel · Palm Springs · United States
Solo travel in Palm Springs
How to enjoy Palm Springs at your own pace.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Pictured: Tahquitz Canyon, Palm Springs · Photo: Dicklyon, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Palm Springs is easy for solo travellers who want sun, design and hikes, with friendly bar seating downtown and many small hotels where guests chat by the pool. A car or rideshare is the main logistical hurdle. Many solo travellers base themselves in Downtown Palm Springs.
Key facts
- Base
- Downtown Palm Springs
- Getting around
- Car
- Emergency number
- 911 (police, fire, ambulance)
- Language
- English and Spanish
Plan a trip to Palm Springs
Compare flights, places to stay and rental cars, then book with the provider you choose.
Solo travel tips
- Stay downtown or in the Uptown Design District so you can walk to dinner and bars.
- Join a guided architecture tour or a ranger-led Tahquitz Canyon hike to meet other travellers.
- Tell someone your route and return time before desert hikes, and carry more water than you think you need.
- Many restaurants have counter or bar seating, which is the most sociable place to eat alone.
- Midweek in the shoulder season brings single-room rates well below weekend prices.
Where to stay
$$$ · Best for first-timers, nightlife, food lovers and solo travellers
Downtown Palm Springs
Downtown runs along Palm Canyon Drive and Indian Canyon Drive between roughly Alejo Road and Ramon Road. The Palm Springs Art Museum, the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum and the Architecture and Design Center are all here, and the Thursday-evening VillageFest street fair closes part of Palm Canyon Drive to cars. It is the easiest base if you want to walk to dinner rather than drive.
- Good
- Walkable to restaurants, bars and museums; Many boutique hotels with pools; Short drive to the airport
- Watch out
- Busiest and priciest during festivals; Street parking fills on weekend evenings
- Nearby
- Palm Springs Art Museum, Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, Architecture and Design Center, Arenas Road
Great on your own
Experience · Chino Canyon
Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
Bring a warm layer even in summer, and in winter check for snow at the top; the trails can need proper footwear from December to March.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Views
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
Neighbourhood · Vista Las Palmas and Twin Palms
Mid-century modern homes drive
Go early in the morning when the light is soft and the streets are empty, and photograph from the pavement; these are lived-in private homes.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Photo spot
- History
- Iconic
Nature · San Jacinto Mountains
Mount San Jacinto State Park
Pick up the free wilderness permit at the ranger station below the Mountain Station before any hike beyond the short loops, and start the summit trail early.
- Time needed
- 2 hours to a full day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Active
- Outdoors
- Views
Nature · Agua Caliente Reservation
Indian Canyons
Start at Andreas Canyon for an easy shaded walk, then drive on to Palm Canyon; carry plenty of water, as there is little shade on the upper trails.
- Time needed
- 2–4 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Kids
- History
- Photo spot
Nature · South of downtown
Tahquitz Canyon
Visit in winter or early spring, when snowmelt and rain mean the waterfall is actually flowing; by late summer it can be a trickle.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Active
- Outdoors
- History
Museum · Downtown Palm Springs
Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
Allow time for the outdoor plaza and its desert garden, and book a spa slot ahead if you want to bathe in the mineral water itself.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Art
Meeting people
- Date garden visit — Date gardens around Indio have shops, short walks under the palms and tastings of several varieties; Shields Date Garden also screens a long-running film about the date's history.
- VillageFest grazing — Thursday evenings on Palm Canyon Drive, the street fair has food trucks, kettle corn, baked goods and produce stalls, making it an easy and inexpensive dinner.
- Arenas Road — A short stretch off Indian Canyon Drive with the city's main cluster of gay bars and clubs, busy from happy hour onwards.
- Palm Canyon Drive — Cocktail bars, rooftop terraces and restaurants with late bars along the main street downtown.
Sensible precautions
The main risk is heat: dehydration and heat exhaustion are common on canyon and desert trails, so hike early and turn back if you run low on water. Car break-ins can happen at trailheads and downtown parking; keep valuables out of sight.
- Emergency number
- 911 (police, fire, ambulance)
- Staying connected
- Mobile coverage is good in the valley but patchy in the canyons, the mountains and much of Joshua Tree National Park; download maps offline.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Palm Springs good for solo travellers?
Palm Springs is easy for solo travellers who want sun, design and hikes, with friendly bar seating downtown and many small hotels where guests chat by the pool. A car or rideshare is the main logistical hurdle.
+Where should solo travellers stay in Palm Springs?
Downtown Palm Springs: Palm Canyon Drive shops, museums and restaurants within walking distance of most hotels.